In a principal aspect the present invention relates to a tool that may be utilized to properly and uniformly space ceramic, floor and wall tiles during their installation as well as clean or rake the joint between adjacent tiles.
When installing tiles, such as ceramic tiles, on a floor or wall surface, it is common to provide a narrow or small seam between the separate, adjacent tiles. The tiles, thus, are typically glued or somehow adhered to the surface in an array separated by narrow seams or slots. Thereafter, grout is filled into the slots"" seams between the tiles.
When setting tiles, therefore, it is desirable and necessary to provide clean and uniform spacing of adjacent tiles before inserting the grout into the area or slots between the tiles. Properly spacing the tiles is often a challenging task for tile setters. Spacing devices such as small wedges of wood or other material have been utilized to provide for desired spacing of tiles during setting. Such spacing members are inserted between the tiles as the tiles are placed on a surface and moved by sliding or other slight adjustments. The spacing of tiles utilizing this approach may or may not be uniform. Moreover, spacing of adjacent tiles, particularly at junctions associated with the corners of the tiles is not always uniform and is difficult to maintain. Thus, there has developed a need to provide an improved method as well as tool to ensure proper spacing between tiles as they are laid and set upon a surface.
Briefly, the present invention comprises a spacing tool for facilitating installation of tiles on a surface having adhesive or other similar material to promote adherence of the tiles to the surface. The spacing tool includes a central body with projecting spokes from the body. The body and the spokes are typically coplanar. The spokes are arranged in a manner which is congruent or coincident with the spacing or slot size between adjacent tiles and the junction of three or more tiles. Thus, the prongs projecting from the central body will typically have, by way of example, a cruciform shape. A thimble section or other holding mechanism is mounted on the top of the central body to facilitate gripping, movement and placement of the tool between tiles. Thus, the tool is utilized by positioning tiles upon a surface and adjusting their spacing to abut against the sides or edges of the prongs of the spacing tool. The thimble or holding section, which is positioned on the top of the body section of the tool, facilitates manual manipulation and positioning of the tool when adjusting the spacing between the tiles. The tiles may thus be set on adhesive or similar material with the tool having one or more of the prongs positioned between adjacent tiles thereby providing a means for adjusting or limiting the movement and motion of the tiles so that they will be uniformly spaced by virtue of the width of the prongs associated with the tool. The prongs may also be utilized to clean the slots by removal of excess adhesive, for example, or to rake the grout in the slots.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an improved tool for spacing of tiles during their installation.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool for the spacing of tiles which has a simple yet highly efficient construction, is inexpensive, rugged and durable.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method for the setting of tiles in a uniformly spaced manner.
A further object of the invention is to provide various alternative embodiments of a tile spacing tool wherein distinct embodiments can be used in combination with distinct tile shapes.
These and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will be set forth in the detailed description which follows.